New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-06
FRAUDS ON THE TREASURY.
A SERIOUS SCANDAL IMPENDING.

A SERIOUS SCANDAL IMPENDING.
GEN." SPARKS srUMBLEs UPON NEST OF DIw.
ochAIIc coRRUPTION--CLAIMs TWICE PAID.
lsr rzLnoRArH 70 THE rRfBusn.l
WASHINGTON. Aug 5.--Information received
oy iHE TRIBUNE correspondent from source
which appears to be trustworthy indicates that
a serious scandal Is impending in the Treasury
Department It may be remembered that somc
months ago Controller Durham made an unusual
and persistent assertion OF prerogative insisting
that General Sparks, Commissioner OF the Gen.
eral Land Office, should state or adjust certain
accounts which he declined to do, refusing ia
recognize the Controllers Jurisdiction The
Commissioners demurrer was finally sustained
by higher authority, and the Controllers power
In the premises denied. Several months ago
letter from one II Its officers, the Surveyor
General Of California, fell like thunderbolt
within the walls of the General Land Office.
1t is asserted that this letter in question con-
talned certain United States Treasury drafts
winch the Surveyor-Gencral had received direct
from the Treasury Department with number
oi others 10 deliver to certain persons whose
addresses he was to ascertain. These drafts
were in fact for payment or satisfaction of claims
which the persons in whose names they were
drawn had against the Government for services
rendered as deputy surveyors for the surveys of
the public lands under general appropriations for
that purpose, and also under what is known MS
the special deposit system. The official in re-
turning these Treasury drafts stated that while
he had delivered all the others or caused them
to be delivered to the persons for whose benefit
they were issued, he had failed to find the
payees of the drafts incloscd In his letter as
some were dead and others had moved TO parts
unknown. The irregularity of the proceedings
was apparent to Sparks and it is asserted that
he was then and has been ever since the
most indignant man In Washington, for upon
careful comparison of the plats, and accounts in
satisfaction Of which these Treasury drafts had
been issued, 1t was found that in many cases
they had been so paid long years before, some
of them as long ago as 1872 or 1873.
In Commissioner Sparks's report for the year
1885, lie wrote:
My attention called at early period to the great
ooseness and rregularty which have characterized the
surveying service especially Of late years. and pacu
deposit system. Accounts were presented for ny sp-
prova involving large sums Of based
fed upon contracts entered into when the deposit
upon contracts largely exceeding the estimated liability
upon which they were founded also found that every
in this branch of the public service
to facilitate the making and approval Of contracts and
that condonement OF Irregularities had to be
garded part Of the official duty OF the supervising aud
accounting officers OF the Government
General Sparks says further:
surveying Instructions the general appropr
alton and the deposit system Under theaw
only be drawn for the OF upon
certified by the Commissioner of the General Land Office
as the Land Ocs ands is own accounts and the First
tary OF the Treasury authorizing payments from the pub
Lie revenues.
1t is understood that the files Of the Treasury
have been Overhauled by faithful reform Demo-
Gratis for the purpose Of waking up profitable. Tor.
gotten dormant leads" and exploiting pending
but FORGOTTEN claims; and there were found many
of these surveying accounts, which apparently In
ssS d not hs sea M q fsd'n "a 'fm' % as Hence
fa1s a1ss c !Ss Claimant. f1s issued es %
OF aa for the smons
stated above. 1t seems tina. the files of the Treasury
are arranged by years. That the account of John
appear paid, but show certain disallowances In Its
"statement of differences" Yhese. however, NAV
have. beens subsequently explained to the
stated in another account, the following year OF
several years Later which second account would
not be found filed with the frst but IN lis proper
wear. 1t is asserted that Commissioner Sparks adj
dressed q most energetic remonstrance TO the
Treasury Department in regard to these payments,
and fnat the WnOle matter mas Ueeu tnOrOUgHly lHs
vestigated by special agents 1t is said that
a good many persons are interested In these
irregular and fraudulent cases, and that among
them are several ex-Members of Congress who
were told by one Of the special agents that they
were running terrible risk. They explained as
might we'll be. that they were merely acting as at
torneys for others and had believed the claims
were all "straight"
"Well." replied the agent, "aIl I can say is that
you have drifted accidcniy into very strange COM
pany the company of thieves and scoundrels.'
General SDarkss two annual reports fairly
bfiste with yirtuous horror at the innumerable
frauds of which he accuses his Republican prede-
cessors while their pages fuller than patent
medicine almanac of letters and other testi.
-monals duly signed aud authenticated pras-
ing his vigilance for the United States
Treasury, the innocent suffering settler and
"Reforrn." These discoveries and disclosures
are therefore, just little un fortunate. am told
that these emIuently serious proceedings have
arrested The foregoing statements refer, it will
be observed. to the State of California. What may
have been done in other States and Territories is
not known, but the field IL wide
and ought to be profitable one. This
secret seems to be dreaded like tire, and
although very many persons must have knowledge
of il, the rigorous espionage so openly conducted
by the Democratic officials Is employed wlthout
stint to stop all possible leakage OF information
soIutely precise details upon many pointa The
foregoing is believed to be substantially correct
account of the latest operations IN the interest OF
reform"
THE PRESIDENT INVITED TO MEMPHIS.
HE HOLDS OUT A HOPE To THE DELEGArION-
c,ycruu. TT upApn vpoM AfSo